by Simon Samano, USA TODAY Sports

by Simon Samano, USA TODAY Sports

The NFL has explained ad nauseam that is why the rules have changed so much that we sometimes wonder if the players should just wear flags.

Safety, the league claims, is why it handed a one-game suspension to Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed, who ultimately won his appeal for an illegal hit against the Pittsburgh Steelers two weeks ago.

Reed, though, sees right through the NFL's bovine excrement it continues to spew. And after yet another grueling 60 minutes against the arch-rival Steelers on Sunday, Reed was preaching.

"All of a sudden, the NFL is starting to get sued for all the stuff they haven't protected over the years, and they haven't done ... now you want to take it out on us?" Reed said, via Sports Illustrated. "Take it out on yourself. It's easy for them to do the things they're doing, fining us and make us look bad, like we're the bad guy, when we're not.

"If they were really so concerned about the violence and the injuries, players getting hurt, answer this question for me: Why is there Thursday Night Football? We played three games in 17 days. Why is there Thursday Night Football? Come on, man."

Thursday Night Football on NFL Network exists for one reason and one reason only: money. Its very existence highlights a giant flaw in the league's "safety first" mantra. If safety was such a concern for the league, Roger Goodell would never allow his players to play on three days of rest.

Reed understands this, and I, for one, commend him for telling it like it is.